Animal House

Released 1978

Distributor Universal

Director John Landis’ raucous satire of early sixties college life was a real game-changer when it was released in 1978, creating the template for a decade’s worth of politically incorrect comedies to come. The movie’s not-so-secret weapon was the film debut of Saturday Night Live star John Belushi as prototypical slob, John “Bluto” Blutarsky. In a bit of irony the boys from Delta House would appreciate, the film (highlighted by Bluto’s suave impression of a bursting pimple) was deemed “culturally significant” and selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 2001.

About Allan Arkush

A record collector and film buff from his early days, Allan Arkush brought his two loves together in directing the cult classic Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. Allan’s day job is directing and executive producing television series like Heroes, The Client List and Crossing Jordan. He has also directed episodes of Ally McBeal, Moonlighting and many other tv series as well as the mini-series, The Temptations, for which he won an Emmy. He wishes that someone would release his 1997 Showtime movie Elvis Meets Nixon on DVD.